Like A Kicked Puppy
by sherlockandiareslytherins
Summary: Tobias Eaton's sister Josephine joins Dauntless two years after her older brother and befriends Tris and the gang (Christina, Will, Al, Uriah, Marlene, etc.). But what happens when she falls head over heels for the notorious Candor transfer known only as Peter Hayes?
1. Chapter 1

"Tobias," I whisper, my voice sounding slightly whiny as I brush his arm with my hand. "Tobias, no." I glance nervously towards the door to his room, Marcus told us to each go to our _own_ bedrooms while he had his meeting with the council members, not both of us go to Tobias'. 'Useless' items surround us as we sit on the stained gray carpet, another reason I don't want Marcus walking in on us. The blue sculpture that resembles falling water sits in Tobias' lap as he runs his fingers over the creases.

"Joey, I'm not leaving you here with him." He says. I remind him to whisper by placing my finger to my lips. Marcus always tells us to be quiet when he has someone over, wouldn't want us ruining that precious reputation of his.

"Tobias you have to leave. You have to." I insist. "It'll only be a year. I'll be fine."

"Jo-" He starts,

"Tobias, I don't care which damn one you join but for god sakes, don't you dare stay in Abnegation." I snap, geez what'll it take? His eyes widen in at my use of a swear, I have never sworn in his presence before. He has many more bruises and cuts than I do. If Marcus ever tried to hurt me when Tobias was around, he would push me out of the way and get hurt himself, but of course, Tobias wasn't always around. He shakes his head.

" _Two_ years. It would be _two_ years." He corrects me. "I won't leave you with _him_ for that long!"

"You will!" I say, wiping a tear from just under my eye with the heel of my hand.

"Tob-" I start, I hear footsteps. _Hide_ Tobias mouths. _Where?_ I reply silently. He points under his bed, his long finger directing me to where our backs lean against. I push the items into their trunk and shove the trunk under the bed, near the head, and slip under myself. He places the sculpture under the pillow and runs to the twisting doorknob just in time to pull the chair out from under it. I curl up on my side, holding my breath.

"What was that doing over here?" Marcus asks. "Were you trying to keep me out?"

"No, sir." Tobias says.

"That's the second time you've lied to me today." Marcus says. His breathing is shallow, like it always is before his anger overtakes him. "I didn't raise my son to be a liar."

"I-" Tobias starts. I see his gray shoes moving as he walks over to place the chair in front of his desk.

"What were you doing in here that you didn't want me to see?"Marcus questions, suspicion in his voice.

"Nothing." Tobias says, his voice almost a whisper.

"That's three lies." Marcus warns.

"Where's your sister?" He asks, finally understanding. My body shakes and I try to keep still.

"Probably in her room." Tobias says. I watch Marcus' shoes head out the door, towards my room. I crawl out from under the bed. I stand up and dust myself off, remembering to straighten my posture. We stand next to each other in silence, Tobias bites his lip from nerves and I crack my knuckles. Marcus walks in speedily, as soon as he sees me, he grabs my shirt, the fabric balling up in his fist. He drags me out of the room and down the hall.

"No, please dad, no!" I beg, trying my hardest not to start crying again.

"Don't whine." He snaps, stopping for barely a second to slap me. I fight against his grasp but his grip only tightens.

"Please dad, put me in instead!" Tobias says, following closely behind us. While he's deathly afraid of small spaces, my fear is even worse. Marcus simply pushes Tobias away from us with his free hand in response. He shoves me toward the closet door, I turn back around to face him and try to run past. He catches my shoulder, holds me still and hits me across the cheek. _Forehand_ , _backhand_. Both cheeks burn with pain. He tries to shove me in the closet again, this time successful. My shoulders graze the sides of the closet, the slanted ceiling makes for an uncomfortable, hunched position. I close my eyes and press my palms against the side walls, no matter how I move, I can still feel the walls pressing against my body. I feel like I might vomit. I bang my hand against the door and it shakes and rattles with the impact, still refusing to open. I breathe heavily and quickly, not letting out as much air as I'm letting in. I squeeze my eyes tighter shut and try to imagine myself someplace else. In my head, I sit in the cafeteria at school, alone, if Tobias and I had the same lunch time, he would be with me. I bite into my plain chicken sandwich, the image becomes so real, I can almost taste the bland, unseasoned chicken nested between two slices of stale bread. The sound of Marcus stomping Tobias up the stairs above me yanks me out of my dream world. I know it's no use, but I kick against the door, it shakes again, but keeps me locked inside. I hear Marcus yelling upstairs.

"This is _rank_ with self-indulgence! It poisons this house with selfishness!" A few moments of silence pass then I hear Tobias first yell of pain as the belt makes contact with his back. All I want to do is help him, but I am trapped within the confines of this closet, where the walls seem to shrink in on me, where the confinement makes me nauseous with fear, where I am completely helpless. I shake the small doorknob but it doesn't allow me to turn it. I want to scream, so I do, but into my hand so that Marcus doesn't hear. Tears slide over my still stinging cheeks. I rest my head and palms against the door and bang my forehead against it in frustration. Tobias yells again at an especially hard lash.

The door finally opens, the harsh light from the lamp hurts my eyes. I squint at the figure. Marcus. I stand and straighten my back, shutting the closet door as soon as I get out.

"Have you been crying?" Marcus asks. Likely noticing the streams of halfway dried tears on my cheeks and my red puffy eyes.

"No." I say. _Stupid stupid._ I tell myself. He purses his lips.

"What were you doing in your brother's room?" He asks, his voice raising in volume the tiniest bit.

"Nothing." I say. _Stupid again._

"You and Tobias and your lies!" He shouts, slapping me. Tobias comes running down the stairs, his shirt ripped and bloodstained on the back. Marcus shoves me into the wall and punches my stomach twice, I cough.

"I didn't raise my children to be so _selfish_!" He says, hitting me again.

"Please stop dad!" Tobias begs.

"It's for her own good." Marcus says, shoving Tobias away and continuing to beat me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Today is the day of the choosing ceremony. The army of Abnegation climb the stairs in a mass of gray clothing. I stay close to Tobias, Marcus is several feet behind us, our intertwined fingers are easily hidden with the sleeves of our oversized gray sweaters. I know Tobias has to leave, but I don't want him to all the same. Just before we reach the doors, I pull him into a hug, he wraps his arms around me gingerly. The other Abnegation look at us with appalled faces, physical contact isn't quite welcomed in our faction.

"Please, _please,_ don't stay." I beg. He nods. "I love you." I whisper.

"I love you too." He says. Then we part ways, he squeezes my hand one last time before letting go. I might never see him again, there's no way Marcus will let me go to visiting day. I gulp. Marcus catches up to me, grabs my arm and pulls me along with him.

A bajillion different sixteen year olds are called until Tobias finally comes. He takes the knife and digs deeply into his palm, too deeply. He holds his palm up, letting blood pool in his hand. I sit on the edge of my cheap metal folding chair. _C'mon, c'mon_ I think. The selfish part of me wants him to stay in Abnegation, but I know what's better for him. I know what he needs to do. He holds his arm over the Dauntless bowl. _He'll finally be free!_ Excitement rises within me. But my heart drops as he jerks toward Abnegation, blood dripping on the carpet between the two bowls. I hold my breath. He can't. I won't let him. His eyes meet mine, I give him the sternest look I can muster _No._ I mouthe. He blinks slowly and squeezes his hand into a fist, several drops of blood sizzle as they make contact with the Dauntless coals. I catch his eye and grin at him as he is swept into the Dauntless crowd _I love you._ He mouths, _Be strong_. I nod. I hear Marcus' shallow breaths next to me and I know he will probably want to take his anger out on me later,but right now, I don't care, my brother is free and exactly two years from now, I will be too. I try to hide my excitement as the ceremony ends. I help with clean up, as do many other Abnegation. I can't help smiling at the floor as I help collect the chairs. My smile drops when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up at Marcus.

"Let's go." He says. I nod and follow him to the stairs.

"He _betrayed_ us." Marcus growls. "He _left_ us." He looks at me, anger in his eyes. I nod, trying to look angry at Tobias. I see him in the crowd of Dauntless, running down the street. I see a smile spread across his face, a real one. The corners of my mouth tip up at his grin. He is happy. He will be happy for years to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _1 Year and 364 Days Later_

"Josephine Eaton." The testing volunteer calls. I stand and walk into the room, the walls are covered in mirrors, I instantly look to the floor, Marcus would punish me if I spent too long looking in them. I drink the liquid and sit down in the dentist chair as the woman connects cords and wires to me. I stay completely silent, ignoring anything she says that isn't a direction. A tiny part of me wants me to deny what Marcus says. I bury that part of me by shaking my head. I fall into the simulation. I am in the testing room, but with no chair and no woman, a table stands next to me, a dagger the length of my forearm and a block of cheese sit on the table.

"Choose." A feminine voice says. I walk over to the table. Marcus told me to choose the cheese, so I do.

Suddenly, a dog comes out of nowhere. It is a puppy, wagging its tail with happiness as it walks toward me. I smile and hold out the cheese for the dog. I blink and when I open my eyes the dog is fully grown and growling at me, I take deep breath, Marcus didn't tell me what to do when this happened. A young girl appears behind the dog.

"Puppy!" She says excitedly, the dog lunges toward her. I leap toward it and stop it in his path, just as Marcus told me to do.

I wake with a yelp and find that I have bitten into my lip so much it bled. The woman who did my test stares at me. I see a tattoo of an eagle on her neck as she turns to the computer, she is obviously Dauntless.

"Let me ask you something," she says. I nod, I know what she will ask, she will ask if I was aware during the test and I will lie and tell her no. I'm not sure why Marcus wants me to lie, but I know better than to question him.

"Were you aware during the stimulation?"

"No." I say, a few moments of silence pass and I wait for her to tell me my results but after a while I decide she needs prompting.

"What were my results?" I ask.

"They were," She pauses and my next breath hitches in my throat, did I do something wrong? Marcus will be so angry. "Abnegation." She finishes.

"Thank god." I mumble. My voice still hoarse from screaming at Marcus the other day.

"You definitely match that personality." She chuckles, lifting an ink- ridden arm to brush a hair from her face. I release a deep sigh, I'm not sure if it is of relief or pain.

"Aren't you happy? It seemed like it before." She says. I nod my head.

"I'm happy" I say.

"Well" The woman says. "Go ahead and get back to the cafeteria." I nod and walk through the door. Sitting back down at the Abnegation table. I wonder what I would've gotten if I hadn't listened to Marcus.

"Beatrice Prior." The woman calls. I've met this Beatrice before, she's nice, her brother is pretty cool too, though I've only talked to them once, Marcus tries to shield me from the other Abnegation members, for fear of ruining his reputation.

 **Author's Note: I'm not big on Author's Notes so this likely won't happen again. I just want to thank writingvibes and Headlessbrain for their ever so sweet reviews. You should also know that all of the characters belong to Veronica Roth and not me, (Besides Joey/Josephine and any other O/Cs I come up with). Thank you for reading and reviewing and I hope to see you all next week!**


	4. Chapter 4

I walk in to find Marcus reading the newspaper in his easy chair, surrounded by paperwork. I read a headline, _Marcus Eaton Accused of Mistreating Children_ I stifle a laugh.

"After some consideration," He says, "Have you done what I said?"

"Yes." I answer truthfully. He stands and towers over me.

"Really?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say

"What was that?" he raises an eyebrow at me.

"Yes, sir." I correct myself.

"And your result?" He asks, placing his newspaper on the coffee table.

"Abnegation." I say. He glares at me, his eyes like daggers. I clear my throat. "Sir." He grabs my arm, his fingers tightening like a wrench around my elbow. _What did I do?_ I wonder, was it something I said?

"Quit slouching." He reprimands. I straighten up, relieved that it wasn't anything bad.

"I'm going to be having some leaders over for dinner so you should eat before they get here."

"Yes, sir." I pull some leftover chicken from the fridge and eat it quickly, rushing to my room before the first Abnegation leader gets here. I hear the door open and Marcus greets Elise Godfrey, one of the Abnegation leaders. I get into my room and place the doorstop against the closed door. I pull the blanket off of my bed and lay it on the floor. I lie down on top of it stretching out my limbs and spreading my long, bony fingers. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

I wake to a pounding on the door. Oh. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I get up and scramble over to the door and pull aside the chair, I push it to the side and stand in the middle of the room.

"Were you trying to keep me out?" Marcus asks calmly,

"I wasn't." I say shakily, but see that's his superpower, he can _always_ tell when I'm lying.

"That's a lie." He says.

"What's this?" He asks, pointing to the blanket on the floor, his breaths shallow.

"I-" I don't know what to say. "I-" I try again.

" _What's this_?" He yells. I shake my head and tears fill my eyes, I blink them back. This is a moment when I wish Tobias was waiting to comfort me, to hold me and tell me everything will be okay, but he is gone. I want to feel his warm, long fingers stretch almost all the way across my scarred back, I want to feel his cropped hair tickle my temple as he pulls me close to him. I want it so bad. I bite the inside of my cheek so hard that I taste blood.

"What?" Marcus prompts.

"I just-" I start. "I was just resting."

"That's two lies." Marcus says. "You are like Tobias." He says Tobias' name as though it tastes bad. I nod, I don't know what to do other than to agree with him. "Clean this up." He says, his jaw clenched. He turns and leaves. I take a deep breath of relief and put the blanket back on my bed. I walk across the hall to Tobias' room, and place my fingertips on the door knob. A hand grabs me, his fingers twisting the fabric of the back of my shirt, he jerks me backward and shoves me into the wall.

"What were you doing, Josephine?" Marcus asks me. I lean on the wall, my palms flat against it.

"I was just going to the bathroom."

"Straighten up." He snaps, and I do. "And that's three lies today, I saw your hand!" His breathing is shallow yet again. He pulls back his hand to slap me.

"Dad, wait!" I say, tears start to slide quickly past my cheeks, dampening my neck. "The choosing ceremony is tomorrow!" I am scared, I am too scared, I am always scared, I'm not fit to join Tobias with the Dauntless, I should give up and stay with Marcus, where my cowardice colleagues and I belong.

Marcus drops his hand then grips my shoulders, his fingers digging into my flesh through my shirt.

"Fine." He says. He pushes me into my room. "Don't move." I know he will return with a belt in his hand. Wisps of hair that fell from my bun stick to my sweaty temples. I am reminded of the night before Tobias' choosing ceremony, I am in the exact same position as he was, waiting anxiously for Marcus to come back and punish me for being selfish. I push my blunt bangs up from my forehead and choke back a sob. Marcus returns with a dark gray leather belt. I cross my arms over each other and take the hem of my shirt, pulling it upwards. More hot tears drop down my cheeks. I set the gray t-shirt aside and turn around. I grab the back of the desk chair for support, my grasp so tight my knuckles turn pale. The fist blow makes me cry out in pain as the belt buckle bites my skin. Today, he has chosen to hold the tip of the belt so that the buckle hits me, which is inherently worse. Another hit stings my upper back, I release the sob I had managed to hold back earlier. I yell again at the third lash. I feel his fingers pulling my hair as he brings my ear towards him.

"Shut. Up." He says loudly right into my ear. Then he says the words that are all too familiar to me. "This is for your own good." I silence myself, practically biting off the tip of my tongue to stay that way. Blow after blow carves stripes on my back, each one hurting more than the last. It feels like hours, _days_ , before he finally stops, wrapping the belt around his fist. I feel my back slick with blood everywhere, staining the fabric of the backside of my bra. I breathe through my teeth, the pain is almost unbearable.

"I hope you've learned your lesson." He says, leaving the room. I shut the door quickly behind him and try to calm the shutter that has claimed my entire body. I feel a deep, stinging pain where each lash was. I fall onto my bed, still topless, laying on my stomach. I press my face into the pillow and scream into the pillowcase.

 **Author's Note: Okay, I know I said I wouldn't do these, but I just want to say that all the sad stuff will be over (ish) next chapter and she'll meet Tris, so don't stop reading if it feels too sad because this should be just about the last of it. Thanks again for the reviews, they make my day!**


	5. Chapter 5

I wake and get out of bed, the cold shower I take washes away the slightly dried blood and numbs my still stinging and aching back. I dress myself as fast as possible. Today I will choose. I check down the hall both ways for Marcus, then step into Tobias' room, everything is untouched, despite how much time I spend here. Broken pieces of the 'useless' items he'd collected sit in the wastebasket, things that are meant to mean nothing, but meant everything to him, including one I gave to him, a pen that's missing a spring, it is broken in half, likely under Marcus' foot. I walk over to the dresser and stare at the blue sculpture our mother gave him, he put it out as a symbol of his rebellion before he left on choosing day, I sit down on the mattress, smoothing the sheets with both hands, I lean back and my feet lift an inch or two off the floor. The bed still smells of him, after two years. I take a deep breath. My mother always told me that moments of freedom are fleeting and will always be that way, this is one of my moments of freedom, and she taught me to enjoy it. I get up and find Marcus in the living room, we walk to where he cuts my hair each month. Marcus pulls open the panel that shows the mirror. I stare at my reflection as he cuts my dark hair, meticulously perfecting the bangs that cover my forehead. He acts so sweet, pulling the hair away from my face so that he doesn't accidentally hit me with the scissors, he acts as though he didn't beat me only last night. He sets down the scissors forcefully, I jump. He hits me across my cheek,

"Don't look in the mirror so much!" He demands. "It is a sign of vanity, therefore it is selfish."

"Yes sir. Sorry sir." I say, bringing my hand to my burning cheek. There goes trying to keep my face nice for choosing day. He ties my hair into a bun and closes the panel. _I will soon be free_ I reassure myself. I get jitters just thinking about it.

The trip up the stairs seems to take ages, the marching Abnegation feet are rhythmic and steady. When we finally make it to the top , I feel as though I've forgotten how one breathes.

"I know you'll make the right decision." Marcus says before leaving me. "See you soon." Marcus walks up to the podium and delivers a speech, he is so sure I will choose Abnegation like a good little girl, but he is wrong. I want to be free, I want to be happy, I want to be with Tobias. I won't be his clay to mold into any shape he wants. I wait eagerly for my name to be called. I'm ready. I've been ready.

"Josephine Eaton." I try to hide my excitement as I take the knife from Marcus, a sweet smile on his face, expecting me to choose what he wants. I'm ready to be away from him, away from Abnegation. I'm ready. I cut into my hand, almost deeper than Tobias cut, but I barely feel the pain, I walk confidently to the Dauntless bowl and let my blood fall onto the coals and I join the Dauntless, smiling the whole way. I hear the strain in his voice as he announces which faction I have chosen and I can't help but smile.

When I realise my palm is still bleeding, I tear a strip of gray fabric from my sweater and tie it around my hand. I don't take a second glance back at Marcus, he is a part of my past now.

At the end, I don't stay to clean up. The Dauntless run down the stairs and down the street in a huge mob. After a few minutes, my lungs ache, my feet cramp up, the muscles in my calves burn but I love it. I feel free. I _am_ free. Finally.

I climb to the train platform with the rest. I see the train coming, but it doesn't slow. I see people start to run the same direction as the train. I follow them, confused. Then, when the train approaches they just get on. I barely make it into the last car. I see another Abnegation girl breathing heavily beside me,

"Beatrice, right?" I ask her.

"Yeah. Josephine?" I shrug. I can't help but think about how everyone called me Joey, except Marcus, who called me by my full name.

"You can call me Joey."

"I haven't seen you around much." She says. I shrug again, not sure how to answer, the only reason is that Marcus wouldn't let me make contact with other Abnegation members so as not to ruin his reputation.

"I'm Christina." A girl dressed in Candor black and white says. She and Beatrice start a conversation. So I sit down and stare out the train car. I'm Dauntless. I grin. I did it.

"They're _jumping off_?" Christina's voice pulls me out of my daze. Beatrice nods. I stand up. The tracks bend toward a roof where people jump onto. We draw nearer.

"Together?" Christina asks, taking Beatrice's hand. Beatrice offers her other hand to me and I reluctantly take it.

"One, two…" We count. " _Three_!" We take a running start and leap or of the train car, for a fraction of a second I think I aimed too short and I'll fall, I feel as though time has stopped and I am suspended in mid air, but then I hit the gravel hard, laughing as I get up. The tiny rocks ripped through my clothes and are now pinching at my skin. I see that Beatrice and Christina both made it too. I drop my shapeless jumper off of my shoulders. The shirt underneath is too small for me, showing off a bit of skin on my stomach. I feel almost naked, my arms and stomach exposed, Marcus would be so mad, but Marcus isn't here. A boy walks up to us, he has a kind face but as soon as he opens his mouth, I can tell his attitude doesn't match his features.

"Ooh, _scandalous_ , a Stiff showing off some skin!" He mocks, wolf-whistling at me.

"Oh thanks, I just _love_ to be talked to and whistled at like I'm a sex object." I sneer back at him. He raises his eyebrows and is caught speechless.

Christina smiles at my comeback.

"His name is Peter." She whispers to me, rolling his eyes. "I hate him." We follow the group to one edge of the roof. I stare at the train as it rides away, the other girls go ahead of me, I only catch the tail end of the instructions. I gather we're supposed to jump off the edge.

"Who's first?" The man giving instructions, Max, asks firmly. Beatrice steps forward. She moves onto the ledge and removes her cardigan, Peter makes a snide comment, so she throws the sweater at his chest. She looks down, then jumps. After a few seconds I hear the faintest hint of a voice. Is that him? Is that my brother? I must be imagining it. I'm too far up to hear anything down there. Christina volunteers to go next. After she jumps, I step forward. I'm really doing this. I step tentatively onto the ledge, my legs shake underneath my gray slacks. I look down, there is simply a hole in the ground. The height makes my stomach turn but I know Tobias would be having even more of a difficulty, I muster the courage and jump off the roof. I keep my mouth shut and avoid screaming as the wind whistles past my ears. I hit a net that bounces when I land. Since I hit so hard, it throws me up into the air again a few feet, my legs flail. I see a hand reaching across the net. Familiar long fingers stretch toward me, now spotted with calluses. Pure happiness swells in my chest. Tobias. I take his hand and he helps me out of the net. I look around, and when I see no one, I attack Tobias with a hug. I leap onto him, my legs wrapping around his waist.

"Joey." He hugs me back, I hear the smile in his voice.

"I missed you." I say, he pulls me off of him.

"Look, I have to tre-" He notices the remnants of Marcus' slap on my cheek. He turns my chin to look at it, hatred seething in his eyes.

"Tobias, it wasn't him." I say.

"I know you're lying." He says. "He didn't even have the decency to stay away from your face on choosing day?" He says angrily.

"Tobias." I say urging him to move on.

"I have to treat you like any other initiate." He says, glancing at my bruise again."No… Brotherly love." He says. I nod. I hug him again.

"I missed you too." He says. "Now get going initiate." He smiles at me. I head to where Beatrice and Christina are standing.

"Why are you so smiley?" Christina asks.

"No reason." I shrug. I don't want them to start think Tobias has favorites. They might be my only chance at friends.


	6. Chapter 6

After everyone has jumped, Tobias and a Dauntless girl, Lauren, lead us down a tunnel. It seems like it is always dark here, whenever we walk forward the ground comes at a slant downward.

"This is where we divide." Lauren says, "The Dauntless born initiates are with me. I assume _you_ don't need a tour of the place." All the Dauntless borns follow her and only ten initiates are still there. Lots are from Erudite and Candor, none from Amity, and Beatrice- Tris now and I are the only Abnegation transfers.

"Most of the time, I'm in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor." Tobias says. "My name is Four." Umm, no it's not. I give him a quizzical look when he glances at me. He gives me one of our trademark silent words _Later_. I nod.

"Four? Like the number?" Christina questions.

"Yes." Tobias says, "Is there a problem?" He's much more confident now. Different.

"No." Christina says.

"Good," Tobias- Four says "We're about to go into the pit, which you will someday learn to love. It-" Tobias is quickly interrupted by Christina.

"The pit? Clever name." She giggles. Tobias walks over to Christina, He leans close to her,

"What's your name?" He growls.

"Christina." She says, her voice raising an octave or two,

"Well Christina, If I wanted to put up with Candor smart mouths, I would've joined their faction." He says. He's changed so much, it's almost as if each aspect of his personality were heightened, some more than others. I hate to say it, but I can almost see bits of Marcus in him.

"The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut." He growls, "Got that?" My thoughts jump to Marcus, him finding us in Tobias' bedroom talking late at night, I can barely breathe, all the times he told us to "shut up",or "Quit talking". I want to run, I want to cry, I want to scream, this isn't Tobias. This isn't _my_ Tobias.

"What a jerk." Christina says as he guides the group toward "The Pit".

"I guess he doesn't like to be laughed at." Tris says, she's right, he never has liked to be teased, I guess that's still true.

"You okay, Joey?" Tris asks me, "You look really pale." I nod.

"Y-Yeah." I say "I'm fine." _At least he's still quiet when he's angry._ I tell myself.

The Pit is huge, people dressed in black are everywhere, rough walls of rock tower above us, there are paths and stairways that connect shops. The roof is glass, above it a building that lets the sun provide light for the area. Blue lanterns hang at various places to help with lighting the room as well, they become brighter just as the sun drops under the horizon. I tune out of Tobias' tour. I can ask someone if I need to go somewhere.

I sit at a table with Tris, Christina and Tobias, who sits between Tris and I. Tris and I both examine our meat.

"You've never seen a hamburger before?" Christina asks in disbelief.

"No." Tris says.

"Is that what they call it?" I ask quietly.

"Stiffs eat plain food." Tobias explains. I hold back from widening my eyes at his use of the word. They have to see him as something other than a boy from Abnegation and I know that. I catch Peter's eye from another table. He was looking at me. I tune out of the conversation and connect my gaze with his. A young man walks into the room, and it suddenly goes silent.

"Who's that?" Christina asks quietly.

"His name's Eric," Tobias says, "He's a Dauntless leader." He walks toward us, I stiffen immediately, I'm not exactly sure why, it must be something about him because I notice Tobias does the same.

"Ooh, a Stiff." He says, looking at Tris. "Two Stiffs!" He exclaims when he notices me.

"We'll see how long you two last." He smirks at Tobias, they have a history, I can tell. He sits down next to me and the conversations around us resume tentatively.

"You know," Eric points at Tobias and me in turn. "You two bear a _shocking_ resemblance." He says, smiling maliciously.

"That's weird." I say keeping my voice steady, I need to do this for Tobias. It's my job to protect him, and his to protect me, no matter how changed he may be. Eric looks into my eyes for a few seconds, I hide my fear and challenge him with my gaze.

"What have you been doing lately, Four?" He looks to Tobias.

"Nothing much." He shrugs.

"Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don't show up. Eric raises a pierced eyebrow and cocks his head at Tobias. "He requested I find out what's going on with you."

"Tell him I'm satisfied with the position I currently hold." Tobias says calmly.

"He want's to give you a job."

"So it seems." Tobias replies.

"And you're not interested?" Eric asks skeptically.

"Haven't been for two years." Tobias says.

"Well," Eric touches my arm, I immediately take Tobias' hand under the table. He looks at me, then at my arm his jaw tenses. "Let's hope he gets the point." Eric says, getting up, he claps my shoulder and I squeeze Tobias' hand. The corners of Eric's mouth tip up when he sees Tobias' reaction to the gesture, his eyes are narrow and his jaw clenched. Eric walks away and I tune out of the conversation that ensues, letting go of Tobias' hand.

"It must be because you're so approachable," Tris says, "You know, like a bed of nails." I break my blank stare to release a laugh.

"Careful Tris." Tobias warns. Someone calls for Tobias and he gets up and joins them.

"I'm developing a theory," Christina says.

"And that is?" Tris asks. Christina picks up her hamburger, smiles and says,

"That you have a death wish." I smile. A few seconds later, Tobias walks by and discretely slips a note into my hand.

 _C'mon, I want you to meet my friends._

He has friends? I look up at him and he beckons me with a flick of his hand. I stand.

"Where are you going?" Christina asks me.

"I'm gonna ask T-Four where the restrooms are." I say.

"Weren't you listening during the tour?" Tris asks.

"Nope." I reply shortly, then I walk over to Tobias. He leads me to a group of Dauntless members.

"Joey, this is Zeke and Shauna." I give them a small wave. Zeke has shaggy dark hair and bronze skin, just a little bit paler than Christina's. Shauna is short and grinning madly, leaning close to Zeke.

"Why are you introducing us to an initiate, Four?" Shauna questions.

"I want her to meet Marlene and Uriah." He says. When he notices that they aren't satisfied with the answer he gives them. "I'll explain later." He sighs. He points to a boy and girl, the boy, Uriah I assume, bears a strong resemblance to Zeke. I walk over to them.

"Hi." Marlene says to me through laughter.

"Hi." I say. "My bro-To-Four." I start, I've already failed. "Four," I say defiantly "wanted me to meet you." I say, blushing.

"I'm Uriah and this is Marlene." Uriah says.

"Cool." I nod.

"And you are…" Marlene prompts.

"I'm uhhh... Joey." I say.

"You know," She points at me, "You look a lot like Four." She says.

"Why do people keep saying that?" I ask. Uriah leans over and whispers in her ear.

"Oooooohhhhhh." She draws out the word in realization.

"How did you know?" I ask Uriah.

"Are you kidding?" He asks, "You practically told us." He laughs. "My bro-To-Four." He imitates.

"That obvious, huh?" I ask. He nods. I catch Tris waving me over out of the corner of my eye.

"I gotta go, I'll talk to you later." I say, turning to walk back to the other table.

"See you." Marlene says.

After dinner Tobias is gone. Eric finishes the tour. Christina and Tris walk beside me, saying nothing.

"For those of you who don't know, my name is Eric," He says, "I am one of the five Dauntless leaders. We take initiation very seriously, and I volunteered to oversee most of your training." I feel as though I've been punched in the gut, and probably look it too. I see a figure dressed in black out of the corner of my eye. I look again and notice it's Tobias. He beckons to me and I make sure Eric's not looking, then I rush over to him.

"Hey, you okay?" He asks, his eyebrows drawn in with concern.

"Yeah." I say looking at my shoes.

"Joey." He tips my chin up to look at him with his finger.

"I'm fine Tobias." I say.

"No." He insists, "No you're not."

"It's just, Eric creeps me out, and you…" I pause. "You've changed so much."

"Jo," He says, "I'm still me, I just have to be different for the initiates." He says, pulling his arms around me.

"And as for Eric, if he so much as touches you by accident, I'll pour hot butter on his genitals while he's sleeping, like I've always wanted to." Tobias says with complete seriousness. I can't help but laugh into his black t-shirt.

"There's my brother." I say.

"You'll be fine Joey." He says. "You'll be the best initiate."


	7. Chapter 7

"The first thing you will learn today is how to shoot a gun, the second, how to win a fight." Tobias walks past us, giving each person a gun. It is cold, and heavier than I thought it would be when it drops into my hand.

"Thankfully, if you're here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train, so I don't need to teach you that." He pauses. "Initiation is divided into three stages, We will measure your progress and rank you according to your progress in each stage. The stages are not weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it's possible, though difficult, to improve your rank over time. We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice." Tobias continues, "Therefore each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way. The first stage is primarily mental; the second, primarily emotional; the third, primarily mental."

"But what…" Peter yawns, he hasn't fully woken himself yet, like many of the other initiates. "What does firing a gun have to do with… bravery?" Tobias presses his gun to Peter's forehead, clicking a bullet into place. Peter freezes, mid yawn.

"Wake. Up." Tobias growls, pausing between each word. "You are holding a loaded gun, act like it." He lowers the gun to down by his side and Peter stays surprisingly silent, his cheeks glow red.

"And, to answer your question… You are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you're prepared to defend yourself." He then shows us how to hold and fire a gun. I hold out my gun, matching Tobias' previous position. I aim for my plywood target and tentatively squeeze the gun's trigger, the loud bang makes my ears ache, the recoil sends me stumbling backward. The bullet doesn't hit the target, as I expected. I fire again, the bullet lands at the furthest edge of the target. After several tries I manage to hit pretty close to the bullseye. Tris fires again and again but can't manage to hit the target let alone the center.

"Statistically speaking," A boy next to Tris says, "You should've hit the target at least _once_ by now, even by accident." I hear the leftovers of an Erudite I-know-a-lot-of-stuff edge in his voice, his name is Will. I giggle behind my hand.

"Is that so?" Tris asks him.

"Yeah." He says, smiling at me, "I think you're actually defying nature." Tris glares at the bullet holes in my target, barely clustered by the center. The next time she shoots, she hits the edge of her target, She raises an eyebrow at Will

"So you see, I'm right. The stats don't lie." The corners of Tris' mouth turn up in a smile. We all go back to shooting. I hit the target dead center.

"Good job, sis." _That's not Tobias._ I feel a hot breath on my ear I press my gun to his chest instinctively.

"Woah, watch where you're pointing that thing." Eric says, using one finger to push my gun away from his heart. I try to resist cowering as I glance around for Tobias. _Where is he?_

"Oh, your _intimidating_ big brother isn't around to clench his jaw _intimidatingly_ at me this time." Oh god, he's gonna hurt me, I try to keep calm.

"How," I start "How do you know…"

"He was in my initiate class, I know his old faction and his last name, I'm not stupid Stiff." He snaps at me. I want to flinch at the sudden intensity of his voice, but I know that will show weakness. He moves closer to me,

"So, Eaton, since that big bad brother of yours isn't around, it would be real easy to just…" He pulls back his fist and throws it toward my face. I close my eyes and wait for the impact, but it never comes. I open my eyes, a hand is wrapped around Eric's fist, blocking it from hitting me. I turn,

"Peter," I breathe. He looks into my eyes, there is no mischevious smile curling his lips. I open my mouth to say something to him, but he looks over Eric's shoulder, then turns and rushes back to his spot. By this time we've caught the attention of Tris and Will, thankfully, Eric was talking quietly enough about Tobias being my brother for them not to hear.

"Mind if I talk to you Eric?" Tobias asks, his quiet angry is clear in his voice. He grabs Eric's arm and drags him out of the room. When the pair comes back, Eric has a glowing red mark on his cheek. Tobias _punched_ him?

After lunch Tobias takes us to a new room, there is a chalkboard on one wall, on it, are all of our names, in alphabetical order. On the other side of the room, faded black punching bags hang in a line about three feet from one another. He leads us over to the punching bags, each person is stationed at one. Tobias shows us each type of punch and how to do it then sets us loose on the punching bags. We attack the bags, Tris and I (standing next to each other) both have trouble getting our punching bags to budge. Tobias sidles up to Tris. I pause to fix my ponytail so I can listen to their conversation, instead of focusing on my punching.

"You don't have much muscle," He tells her, "which means you're better off using your knees and elbows. You can put more power behind them." I smile as he presses his hand to her stomach, he reaches almost all the way across her abdomen.

"Never forget to keep tension here." He says quietly, he lifts his hand and moves on. He's gonna have to tell me about this later. When I get back to fighting I do all the things he told her to do, since Tris and I have a similar issue. I grin at my bag, which I will soon beat the hell out of. My brother has a crush. I have so much to talk to him about, but we have to be all secret or he'll be accused of favoritism. I still can't manage to make an impact so Tobias comes up to me.

"Here, try these." He says, handing my two wooden sticks that are about a foot long each and have a series of grooves near one end, where I guess I'm supposed to hold them. I stare at them and then look up at him in confusion. "They're called nightsticks. Here," He takes them from me and shows me a couple techniques, then hands them back. I copy his moves the best I can.

"Wow." He says. "You're pretty good at that, but keep working on hand to hand." He nods to me and walks away. I work with them for a bit longer and find that I quite like having them in my hands.

When Tobias lets us go for dinner, Christina comes up to us.

"I'm surprised he didn't break you in half." She says to Tris. "He scares the hell out of me, it's that quiet voice he uses." I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling, I'd always liked that he never yelled.

"Creeps me out too." I lie, I realise fitting in will be an issue when everyone else is so frightened by Tobias.

"Yeah. He's…" Tris looks over her shoulder at Tobias. "... definitely intimidating." She finishes. Al, who we sat with during lunch, turns to us and says.

"I want to get a tattoo."

"A tattoo of what?" Will questions from behind me.

"I don't know." Al chuckles. "I just want to feel like I've actually left my old faction. Stop crying about it." When nobody says anything, he adds, "I know you've heard me." He's right, I can hear him, it always makes me feel uncomfortable, like I should do something to help.

"Yeah, learn to quiet down will you?" Christina pokes his shoulder. "You're right." She says.

"Let's get tattoos."

We all head to the tattoo parlor. I am surprised when I see my testing volunteer there, she is one of two tattoo artists. We look through the book of drawings we could get. I read one that I instantly fall in love with, it reads, "You can CHAIN ME, You can TORTURE ME, You can even DESTROY THIS BODY, But you will NEVER imprison this mind -M.G" I'm not sure what "M.G" means but it's small enough in the drawing that it won't ruin the tattoo. I bring the picture to the woman who tested me.

"I want this one please." She nods and leads me over to a chair.

"Where?" She asks.

"On the back of my neck." I say.

"It's pretty big so if you put it there, it'll go down your back some." She says. "Is that okay?" She asks. I nod.

"I never got your name." I say as she does my tattoo, it hurts, a lot, but I know pain.

"Tori." She says.

"You know what Joey, we should Dauntless-ify you." Christina says after we all get tattoos, Tris got three birds on her collarbone and Christina got a design on her arm. "Care to join, Tris? We'll get you piercings everywhere and dye your hair and get another tattoo." Christina says.

"I'm not doing it but I would love to watch." Tris giggles.

"Okay, slow down Christina." I laugh. "I'm willing to maybe get another tattoo, but the rest, no."

"Oh come on!" She begs. "You'll eventually grow out the dye, and you can take out a stud or ring whenever you want."

"Come on Joey, be a little Dauntless!" I hear Uriah behind me. Marlene laughs and takes his arm. I think about my name, it only reminds me of my past. I crinkle my nose.

"Would you guys be willing to not call me Joey?" I ask.

"What should we call you then?" Al questions. I shrug.

"I don't know, my name is just a reminder of my past, you know?" I ask. They all nod in agreement.

"Ooh!" Christina says. "We should call you Sticks." She says.

"Why?" I ask.

"'Cus you were using those stick things." She says, mimicking the movements I used with the nightsticks.

"Four said they were called nightsticks." I say.

"Whatever. It's a cool nickname." She shrugs. "So Sticks, Dauntless-ify?" She grins.

"Fine." I say. "What's first?"

I walk out of the tattoo parlor for a second time today.

"That was awesome!" Marlene giggles. "Tris next!"

"No no no." Tris says. My hair has dark teal streaks in it, I have a black ring through my left nostril, and a tattoo on my wrist of the word 'eleutheromania'. We spent all evening "Dauntless-ifying" me.

"I'm exhausted." I say. Christina also made me put on a shirt that cuts low down my back, showing off my first tattoo.

"Let's go show you off to some cute boys and laugh at your attempts at flirting." Marlene says. Oh, dear.

We walk by the dormitory, Marlene dragging me by my wrist. I see Peter sitting on his bed there.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed." I say.

"Okay." Marlene says. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hi." I say. Peter practically jumps out of his skin.

"Hey Stiff," He says, "You look… different."

"Yeah." I say. "Christina 'Dauntless-ified' me." I laugh.

"C-Can I see your tattoos?" He asks. I sit down next to him, turning away to show him the one on my back. I feel his finger graze my neck, sending a shiver through me. I turn back to him and show the one on my wrist, still red and stinging as I pull away the bandage.

"What does it mean?" He says awkwardly.

"An intense and irresistible desire for freedom." I answer, Will suggested the word when I was trying to decide what tattoo to get.

"Cool." Peter says.

"Umm, thanks for stopping Eric." I mumble.

"What?" He asks. "Oh, yeah, sure." He shrugs. Suddenly Tris walks in, I can see the surprise on her face.

"I'll talk to you later." I mumble to Peter.

 **Please note that a lot of the dialogue (especially in this chapter) in this story was first written by and therefore belongs to Veronica Roth.**

 **Thanks for the ship name novellamal04, Jeeter should have some cute parts around chapter 10. I can't tell you guys how thankful I am for your reviews, you're all so sweet! Thanks again for reading and reviewing.**


	8. Chapter 8

"This isn't good." Christina elbows Tris.

"Ow." Tris winces.

"Sorry," Christina says. "But look, I'm up against the Tank." She says, pointing to the board with names lined up, Christina is against Molly, one of "Peter's minions" they like to think that Peter is some evil mastermind. I guess he's kind of mean to Tris, but he's not some mad scientist. I tune out of Christina's story about how awful Peter is and look at the board, I'm up against Drew. Shoot, Drew is huge and strong, the other of "Peter's minions". I take a deep shuddering breath.

"Look," Tris says, "Sticks' against Drew." I nod, but hey, looks like the nickname stuck. Turning my attention to Will and Al in the arena. Peter, Molly, and Drew glance angrily at Tris and Christina.

"I think they know we're talking about them." Tris says quietly.

"So?" Christina says. "They already know I hate them."

"They do?" Tris asks. "How?"

"They were Candor." I say. "Christina just didn't lie." Tris jumps like she forgot I was there. I don't blame her, I've been fairly quiet. Will and Al circle one another.

"Do you think this is a leisure activity?" Eric questions from beside Tobias. "Should we break for nap time? Fight each other." He demands. His comments make me seethe with hatred. Can't he just shut up?

"But…" Al drops his defensive position. "Is it scored of something? When does it end?" Al asks.

"Until one of you can't keep going." Eric says.

"According to Dauntless rules, one of you could also concede." Tobias says. Eric glares at Tobias.

"According to the _old_ rules," He snaps. "In the _new_ rules, no one concedes." I thought I was free but I realise I've just fallen into a new trap, if Drew starts demolishing me, I could get seriously hurt.

"A brave man acknowledges the strength of others." Tobias responds.

"A brave man never surrenders." Eric says. Eric is obviously in control, no matter how much Tobias hates it. I try to ignore the back and forth going on between Tobias, Eric, Al, and Will. After a few minutes, Al sends one punch to Will's jaw and he's down for the count.

"Get him up." Eric smiles. I want to throw up, Eric _smiles_ at someone getting knocked unconscious. Tobias turns to the chalkboard glaring, and circles Al's name.

"Drew and Joey." Eric shouts, smirking at Tobias. I put my hair into a bun so that Drew has no chance of pulling it to slow me down. I walk towards the arena.

"Go easy on her will you?" I hear Peter whisper to Drew as I walk past, what? Why?

"I'm not risking my rank for your stupid crush." Drew says louder than Peter had spoken. Peter and I both flush red and shockers from the group follow Drew's comment. Peter has a crush on me? I don't know what to feel, but I know I need to focus on other things. Drew joins me in the arena. I need to use my speed against him, that didn't work out for Will, but hey, I'm not Will. I run to Drew and jab at his throat, as he gasps for air I elbow him in his stomach, he barely reacts so I try to use my knee instead. He bends over in pain, then grabs me around my stomach, lifting me then throwing me to the ground. Pain pounds through me, there's no way I'll win this. He kicks me in my side, but when he tries again, I catch his foot and pull it upwards as I stand. I kick him a few times while he's on the ground, trying to get up. I already feel my muscles beginning to get tired, he scoots away from me, giving himself space to get up. I glance at Tobias. He takes the chance to remind me of my defensive position by getting into it himself. I put my clenched fists up to my face, just in time to block Drew's punch with my forearm, it would've knocked me out if I hadn't. I punch him in the middle of his torso, I'd seen Marcus do the same to Tobias, and once or twice to me. The punch winds him like I'd hoped it would. I take the chance to thrust my knee at his groin. He grunts as many of the boys in the audience wince and say things like, "Ouch." I smile.

"You okay there Drew?" I ask through heavy breaths. I step backwards on the balls of my feet remembering to stay mobile. Drew pulls back for a strong punch, I run under his arm and elbow him in the side before he notices, slipping behind him. He turns and punches me in the nose, I feel blood dribble down to my neck as my vision becomes blurry. I can't give up. I might have a chance. He grabs me and punches me twice in the stomach.

"Come on Sticks!" Tris yells.

"You got this Sticks!" Christina cheers. The encouragement from my friends helps way more than my own encouragement for myself. I duck under Drew's arm and thrust my foot towards his ankle, tipping his balance. I throw my body at his and he falls to the ground. He grumbles angrily. Why can't I just knock him out? My muscles threaten to fail, as though in seconds I will drop to the ground like puddy. I wipe the blood from my face with my arm. Drew struggles to his feet. I'm getting to him. _Just a few more punches, you can do it._ I tell myself. I fake a punch to his face with my left hand and thrust my right fist into his stomach. I hit his ear with the side if my left hand. He stumbles, dizzy. I punch the bridge of his nose and feel a crunch beneath my knuckles, I pull back immediately and stare at my hand as Drew collapses. I broke his nose. I should feel good I won, but I feel awful. I walk briskly towards the door.

"Initiate." Eric yells, "Get back here."

"What do you want Eric?" I snap. "I already fought, I just need a few minutes."

"Be back in two minutes." He says, finding no way to argue with my logic. _I can't cry_ I think. _No crying_. I wheeze, I just broke his nose, I brutally knocked him out. I hear footsteps. Crap. I don't want to deal with a person.

"What?" I snap.

"Joey," Tobias says softly but roughly. I look at him, wiping my upper lip as I realise my nose is still bleeding. I tear a piece off my shirt and quickly take out my nose ring. I press the fabric to my face and breathe through my mouth. He must've gone through the other door because he approaches me from the opposite direction I came.

"You did what you had to do." He says, his voice is tough, no softness touching it.

"You would've gotten knocked out yourself if you hadn't, now quit crying about it and get back in there." He says, taking my arm. I pull the fabric away from my nose to reply.

"I'm not _crying_."I snap. "And I can get there myself." I yank my wrist from his grasp.

"I told you when you came here that I would have to treat you like any other initiate." He says.

"Yeah, I know. That doesn't mean I can't get mad at you for being an arrogant jerk to 'any other initiate'" I make quotation marks in the air with my fingers at the words "any other initiate". I storm back into the training room before he can reply. When I come back, Christina is fighting Molly, and losing. I stand next to Tris, tossing the blood soaked cloth into the trash on my way, since my nose has stopped bleeding.

"How's she doing?" I ask.

"How do you think?" Tris says, concern for Christina in her eyes. I watch as a punch sends Christina sailing into the ground. There is blood covering her face, a deep scarlet, something familiar to me. Molly kicks Christina hard in the side, she brings her hands to the site of the injury, grimacing in pain. Molly kicks again and I flinch, almost feeling the pain myself. I catch Al pulling Tris close against his side out of the corner of my eye. Suddenly I wish for someone like that by my own side. My glare hardens, I rarely ever had someone for comfort when I needed it, so why should this be an issue for me?

"Stop!"Christina gasps. She holds out her hand, her shoulders go up and down, as if she is crying. "Stop! I'm… I'm done." She sobs. Molly smiles and it makes me want to vomit. How do so many people here enjoy inflicting pain? Tris and Al sigh with relief, but I know it's not over, Eric and Tobias had a whole argument about giving up, Eric isn't going to let this slide.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Eric stands over Christina, arms folded across his chest. "You're done?" Christina drags herself into a kneel, pinching her nose to stop the bleeding and nodding.

"Get up." Eric says quietly. He takes Christina's arm and yanks her to her feet. "Follow me." He says to the group. We all do. He leads us to the chasm in silence.

Eric shoves Christina into the railing.

"Climb over it." He says evenly.

"What?" She questions, her voice nervous, as if she is afraid of him lashing out at her.

"Climb over the railing." He says again. "If you can hang over the railing for five minutes, I will forget your cowardice." Eric walks over to stand between Al and I.

"Fine." She says shakily. Christina climbs over, placing her toe on the ledge. She places her hands on the railing and steps off the walkway. Al sets his watch for five minutes. The seconds tick by each one seeming to go on longer than the last. For a while, Christina looks great, determined and strong, her grip is unmoving. Suddenly a wave of the river splashes onto her back, throwing her head into the railing. Her hands slip so only her fingertips are keeping her from dropping into the jagged, wet rocks below. Suddenly Christina's face falls and she lets out a wail. I feel suddenly as though I've gone deaf. I can't hear the river, I can't hear Christina's cries. I see her try to get a proper grip on the railing, but fail. I only hear Al cheering Christina on as muffled indistinguishable sounds. Christina tries again to get a grip.

"I know you can do it Christina, go on, take the railing." I say, snapping out of my noiseless world. Christina looks at me, helplessness in her eyes, pleading for me to help, I begin to step forward but Eric throws his arm out in front of me.

"Don't try to help." Eric demands calmly. "Or you'll be in the same boat." I step back.

"Come on." Tris says quietly. "One minute left." She yells, much louder. Christina's arms tremble, straining to keep her up.

"So." Eric whispers into my ear. "Following behind in the nickname department too, huh, _Sticks_." All I want to do is punch him but I know what a bad idea.

"Now is not the time, Eric." I hiss through clenched teeth.

"Come on, Christina." Al, Tris and I say together. Another wave slams into Christina and she drops off of the railing. Tris screams and I feel as though my heart has stopped beating. She catches herself on the bars of the barrier. She slips down until only her fingers are visible. Finally, Al's watch beeps, signifying that Christina's time of torture is over.

"Five minutes are up." Al spits. Eric checks his own watch, taking his sweet time, pulling his watch close to his eyes to examine the time.

"Five. Minutes. Are. Up." I snarl, shoving his wrist away from his face.

"Fine." Eric sighs. "You can come up, Christina." I start towards the railing. Eric puts an arm in front of me again.

"No." He says, "She has to do it on her own."

"No, she doesn't" Al snaps. "She did what you said, she's not a coward." He says. "She did what you said." Al repeats. Eric says nothing and Al walks forward, I push through Eric's arm. Al and I both help Christina up and Tris joins us later.


	9. Chapter 9

"We need to talk." I say.

"Train." Tobias says. I nod and we both head for the tracks, when the train comes, we run, Tobias gets there first, then helps me.

"Can I talk first?" He asks me. "Because I have a lot to tell you." I nod, and we sit down on the floor of the train.

"Uhh… Jo…" He scratches the back of his neck, his cheeks flush slightly red.

"What?" I ask skeptically, raising my eyebrow.

"Mom- Mom's alive." He says. I simply stare at him. I blink slowly. Our mother "died" when I was seven, Tobias was nine.

"What?" I say, my voice suddenly hoarse, and quiet.

"She uh, She wanted you to be there but couldn't get to us in Abnegation." He explains. I nod slightly.

"But, she's still alive?" I ask, absentmindedly, my eyes wide. Tobias nods.

"The reason she came to me is because she wants us to join her army of factionless." Tobias says, a hint of sarcasm edging his voice on the last few words. Anger flushes through my veins.

"What the hell?" I don't even realize I've stood up until I begin pacing angrily. "She leaves us with Marcus, _voluntarily_ , then she comes back begging for you to give up order in your life and start begging the Abnegation for food? And she didn't even have the decency to wait till she could talk to us both?" Tobias looks up at me, expressionless.

"Yeah." He says finally. I take a few deep breaths then sit down on the ground next him again.

"Okay. What else?" I sigh. I run my hand through my hair, pushing my bangs up briefly.

"I feel like I'm telling you too many big things in one night." He says quietly, laughing slightly. "I think the Erudite and Dauntless are planning an attack." I don't know whether I should think my brother crazy and get out of this train as soon as possible or listen to him.

"On who? On what?" I ask, deciding upon the latter.

"Abnegation." He says plainly. The sweet smelling wind plays with my hair,

"Are you sure?" I finally ask.

"Very." He says, his voice maintaining a low pitch through the word.

"What are you gonna do about it?" I ask.

"I don't know yet, I'm not sure how they'll get enough soldiers though." He says.

"Okay, what other big news is there?" I ask after a few minutes.

"Nothing else I can think of. " He shrugs. "How-" He pauses. "How have you been for the past two years?" I shrug nonchalantly.

"Fine." I say. "I've been fine."

"How have you really been?" He asks.

"I said I've been fine, Tobias." I snap. I didn't mean to lash out at him, but he needs to get his priorities straight. How I was before I joined Dauntless shouldn't be important anymore.

"If you were doing 'fine' how come you walked in on choosing day with a blooming bruise on your cheek?" He asks, just as irritated as I am. I open my mouth to reply, but he's not done. "And if you were doing 'fine' how come you were so happy to be at Dauntless? How come you have ten times the number of scars you had before I left?" He asks.

" _Happy to be at Dauntless?_ " I ask incredulously. "I was happy to be at Dauntless because I got to see my brother, I was finally where I belonged." I raise my voice. Unlike Tobias, when I get angry, I yell. I stand up out of anger again. He stands too, narrowing his eyes.

"And I told you, that bruise wasn't from him." I say.

"Then where was it from?" I pause, where can someone get a bruise on their cheek?

"See?" He interrupts my thoughts, pointing out my long pause.

"So what, it was one day?" I say.

"It was choosing day, if he couldn't hold himself back then, when was he going to?" I cross my arms and turn my back to Tobias.

"What happened when you got home after the aptitude test?" He asks angrily, his voice still quiet. I turn back towards him to answer.

"He asked me what my results were then I ate dinner, he had some Abnegation leaders over and I stayed in my room." I say spitefully, I didn't tell him the _whole_ truth, but it was the truth. I wanted to ask him about his crush on Tris, I wanted to talk about initiation. But instead we talked about Evelyn, Marcus, and plans for an attack, and now we're arguing. He looks me in the eyes.

"If you were fine then how co-" He starts.

"Fine." I interrupt, tears filling my eyes. "It was awful. Is that what you want me to say?" He stares at me, his expression stoic as always, he leans against the wall, arms crossed. "I missed you like hell, Tobias. I got beaten and locked in the closet more often than I ever had before you left. I couldn't-" My attempt to keep the tears from falling fails and my voice breaks. "I c-couldn't-" I try again.

"I couldn't get... out!" I almost scream, frustrated at my failed attempts. I just stand there in front of Tobias, slowly breaking down. I feel his arms slide around me as he rests his chin on my head. I bury my face in his t-shirt, gripping the fabric with my long, skinny fingers.

"I never should have left you." He says.

"You did what you had to do." I tell him. "I made you do it anyways." There is a long pause between us.

"And if you hadn't," I say, "We might have _both_ still been in Abnegation." I feel his sigh from our close proximity.

"I still-" He starts, confliction in his voice.

"It's over, though." I interrupt. "We both left that behind."

When I get back to the dormitory, it's late and almost everyone is asleep. I see Tris thrash in her bed. I contemplate waking her up to end her nightmare. I know what it looks like when someone is having a nightmare, I had to sleep in the same room as Tobias before our mother "died", his problem was nightmares, mine was insomnia. I think about waking Tris, but she beats me to it. I walk over to my bunk and find the word "STIFF 2" in red spray paint on the bed frame, it is also on the blanket and the pillow case. I look back over at Tris' bunk "STIFF 1" is written in the same big red letters. I am not a Stiff anymore, I am Dauntless. I look around the room for the culprit. Abnegation is in my past and nothing more. Peter stands by his bed, next to my bunk. He fluffs his pillow and whistles quietly. Tris leaves the room, maybe to get water, maybe to go to the bathroom.

"Had to prove you didn't have a crush on the Stiff, eh, Peter?" I ask, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall, he turns to me. I know he doesn't want me to, but I see him blush as he smirks,

"What are you talking about?" He asks innocently, his smirk grows. "Oh what happened to your bunk?" He asks maliciously. I release a short huff of amusement, and pull the sheets off my bed, removing the pillowcase from my pillow, I get into the stripped bed and close my eyes, I'm far too exhausted to clean it right now. I fall asleep more quickly than usual, curling into a ball to warm myself when I don't have a blanket.

The walls around me are gray and the room is lit dimly, no art hangs on the wall. I am in Abnegation, but my clothes are black and both my tattoos remain.

"What were your results?" Marcus' voice echoes through the room.

"Abnegation, sir." I say instinctively. I feel his hand strike my face.

"Don't lie to me!" He yells. "What were your results?" He demands, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.

"Abnegation." I say again, a cry escaping my throat.

"You're lying to me!" He asks, his voice loud and angry. I flinch. I see him slide his belt out of the loops in his pants in the dim lighting.

"I'm not lying!" I say desperately.

"This is for your own good." He growls. He turns me around and I grip the dresser for support. The belt cracks against my right shoulder blade and I heave a sob of pain. The belt hits again, the left side of my lower back.

"I… Will not… Stand for… A liar… In my… House!" He shouts between each lash.

I wake with my heart beating against my ribs and tears drying on my cheeks. I still feel the sting of the belt against my back, I push my hand under the hem of my black t-shirt and and run my finger across the scar on my lower back, it came from a very similar experience to the one in the dream. Unlike most people, I don't thrash in bed when I experience a night terror, and I don't wake up drenched in sweat. Instead, I wake in the same position I fell asleep in, my heart beating fast and my teeth clenched together. Just after I've woken I realize that a blanket covers me, I lift a corner of it, the soft fabric warm in my hands. I look around the room, everyone is asleep but only one sleeps without a blanket. Peter. I find a slip of paper and a pen.

 _You'll have to be a bit less obvious than that, Hayes._

I write. I fold the blanket and place the note on top, laying the pair at the foot of Peter's bed. I rush out of the room and sit down in a hall, I pull my knees close to my chest and bury my face in them, I didn't want to cry in the dormitory, where people would see me. But after everything that has happened, I can't hold it in anymore. My two fights with Tobias. Breaking Drew's nose. Christina having to hang from the chasm. Eric. My dream. Peter spray painting my bed. Everything. I feel pathetic for crying twice in a day. Both Marcus and Dauntless taught me that, they taught me that it's shameful to cry _once_ in a day, and I listened to them. I feel the ghost of the belt on my back again and I shiver. I lift my head and glare at the wall. I wipe my cheeks and stand up, I am going to clean my bedframe then I am going to go to the training room, I need to clear my head, despite it being about two in the morning. I walk back into the dormitory, take one look at my bed and find all the red paint gone. I spot Tris sitting up in bed. I walk over to her, I've never been cared for like this, I've never had friends like Will and Al and Christina and Tris. I never had friends, period. I feel a swell of affection in my chest.

"Thanks," I whisper to her. She nods and I open the drawer by my bed, pulling out a stack of clothes and walking to the bathroom to change into them.

My nightstick slams into the punching bag and I wipe a drop of sweat from my temple. At first I imagined the punching bag as Marcus, someone I've wanted to hit for a while now, then Eric, he has no right to want to ruin Tobias' life, especially through me. He got the job he wanted, what more does he need? I hit the bag for another hour or two, sometimes hand to hand, sometimes with the nightsticks which were left by the arena, then go back to the dormitory, not bothering to shower, knowing I'll just get sweaty and gross again in training today.

"Hey, Sticks!" Will calls to me. I slow down and join him. "You kept asking me what words meant, so I got you this." He says. It's true, I've been asking him about words non stop for the past two days. He holds out a small book to me, I take it from him, _Pocket Dictionary_ it says in large words on the front. I chuckle.

"Thanks, Will." I stick it in the pocket of my leggings.

"Honestly it's more for me than for you." He says. I laugh.

"What, did you already work out today?" Christina asks, her face is black and blue with bruises and she looks as though she is trying not to limp. "You look like a wreck."

"Yeah, you're one to talk." I say. "And gee, what a nice compliment Christina." She smiles at me.

"When?" She asks, "You were here all morning." She says.

"I had a dream and couldn't get back to sleep so I went to the training room at two." I say.

"Two in the morning?" She asks in disbelief.

"Yeah." I say. Christina turns to Tris,

"Is that an Abnegation thing?" She asks.

"No." Tris says, her eyebrows drawing in. We all walk into the training room.

"Oh no." Christina says. I look up at the board. Tris is against Peter. "Are they serious? They're really going to make _you_ fight _him_?

"You could just take a few hits and pretend to fall unconscious." Al suggests. "No one would blame you."

"Yeah. Maybe." Tris says, confliction in her expression.

"Peter and Tris!" Eric shouts, they both walk up to the arena as Edward and Molly leave, Molly barely on her feet with the help of Myra and Drew.

"You okay there, Stiff?" Peter asks Tris, she definitely looks a little pale. "You look like you're about to cry." The malice in his voice makes my heart hurt, he can be such a jerk sometimes.

"I might go easy on you if you cry." He says. Peter brings his fists up by his face and bends his knees, prepared to attack.

"Come on Stiff." He says. "Just one little tear. Maybe some begging." He glances at me then his stance falters for a half second, he quickly looks away, regaining his form. Tris tries to kick him in the side but he catches her foot and pulls it toward himself, tipping her balance.

"Stop playing with her, I don't have all day." Eric says. Obediently, Peter punches Tris hard in her jaw. He then kicks her in the stomach. I flinch, Tris looks disoriented and pained, she falls to the ground. Oh no. She's got to stay upright, it's her only chance. She struggles to her feet but Peter tangles her hair in his fist and punches her in the nose. She tries weakly to get him away from him, hitting feebly at his arms. With a slight push from Peter she drops to the ground yet again. She coughs and gets to her feet. I don't want to see this.

As if reading my thoughts Tobias says something to Eric then pulls me out the door with him.

"I didn't think you wanted to see that." He says. I nod, confirming his suspicion.

"What'd you tell Eric?" I ask.

"I told him that I needed to ask you about your fight with Drew and that I plan to ask each initiate about their first fight, to see if I could work out your progress."

"And will you?" I ask.

"Probably not." He answers.


	10. Chapter 10

That night a dream again of Marcus, whipping me with his dark gray belt, this time reprimanding me for crying in front of him. I get up frustratedly and run to the training room, beating the hell out of a punching bag out of anger. Marcus is my past, it's unfair for him to still worm his way into my dreams.

"You best get that little guy to the infirmary." I punch the bag one last time with a grunt and turn to the voice.

"Peter." I greet. I'm not sure what emotion my voice conveys, because I'm not sure how I feel about him.

"Hey Stiff." Peter nods a hello to me.

"What are you doing here? It's like three in the morning." I ask, slightly annoyed that he's disrupted my comfortably lonely environment.

"I could ask you the same thing." He says.

"Touche." I respond.

"How about you fight me and whoever's on the ground first has to tell why they're here." He suggests.

"Tempting," I say, "but I'm not that curious."

"Aww, c'mon Stiff, live a little." He encourages. I sigh.

"Fine." I knot my ponytail into a bun and join him in the arena. We both get into fighting stances. He tries to make the first move, making for a punch to my solar plexus, but I catch his fist and knee him in the crotch.

"Shit, Stiff!" He groans, agony twisting his expression. I grin and push him easily to the ground. "You cheated." He moans from the floor.

"When did we make the rules?" I ask. "So tell me Peter," I say before he has time to answer. "Why are you here at three in the morning?"

"My balls…" He moans. I laugh and sit down next to him.

"You're here because of your testicles?" I ask, giggling. He sticks his tongue out at me. _Real mature._

"C'mon." I prompt, nudging him with my foot.

"Fine, I was here because I saw you go." He says.

"I'd rather have been alone." I say bitterly.

"You're not the type to get lonely?" He asks me. I shake my head, a few moments of silence pass between us.

"Umm, I don't have a crush on you." He says to me. "I only told Drew that because he looked like he could break you in half."

"You underestimated me." I reply. "And you didn't seem to have a problem breaking Tris in half." I add.

"Well," He says, "She hates me."

"And for what reason?" I ask sarcastically, raising my eyebrow and smirking. He shrugs nonchalantly.

"You're my friend, and her.." He says. "Not so much."

"Friend?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

"I guess," Peter shrugs, sitting up. I pull the dictionary Will gave me from my pocket, I left it there from this morning.

"A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations." I read from the tiny book. "I guess we are friends."

 _A/N- Okay, I know it's literally been months since I updated, but I'm back with my crappy fanfiction. I'll post another chapter too because this was short and if you're still with me after months of inactivity, you deserve an award. Thanks for reading 3_


	11. Chapter 11

A large bandage crinkles under my shirt as it sits over my still stinging new tattoo, it is of feathery wings, they sit just below my other tattoo and like the others, symbolize my freedom. None of my friends were there when I got it, I just needed some more alone time, it was Tori who gave me the tattoo, she noticed my scars and our conversation went as such:

"I know." She had said, touching one of my scars and looking around for anyone who might have been listening.

"I did Four's tattoo on his back." She had told me.

"So?" I responded, still trying to make her believe she was wrong. She had looked around once more then said exactly these words.

"Don't worry, your brother trusted me with that information." Then I knew what she was really saying.

I turn down another hallway, I don't know where I'm going, I just need to be alone. People lately have been annoying to be around and socialization isn't quite my forte. I turn the next corner and I stop abruptly when I see a figure in front of me. It is almost too dark to see who it is. _Almost_. I try to walk past him but he blocks me. I turn around but he grabs my wrist and pulls me back.

"What do you want with me Eric?" I spit exasperatedly. He releases my wrist and leans against the wall, crossing his arms.

"Oh, I don't know." He sighs.

"Then why am I still here?" I grumble, beginning to walk past him.

"Oh don't leave." He says, malice in his voice.

"Damnit." I curse, whipping back around to face him. "Why do you still hate him? You got the job you wanted, you have power over him, pretty much only the initiates who were the same year as you know that he ranked above you. What more do you want?" I snap, referring to Tobias. It's probably dangerous to talk to a Dauntless leader this way, especially while I'm still in initiation, but a little part of my brain has decided that doesn't matter.

"That's not enough." Eric says. "He deserves to be _factionless_ , and if that doesn't work, I'll do whatever I can physically emotionally and mentally to him before he finally breaks."

"See there's your problem. He broke _long_ ago. And it's gonna be pretty damn hard to shatter him further."

"I'm pretty sure he has a few weaknesses; that elusive name of his, that girl initiate: Tris. You." Eric says.

"Oh, shut up." I say, tired of his repeated threats toward me _just_ to get to Tobias. He walks up to me and takes my chin between the knuckle of his thumb and the side of his index finger, turning my face and forcing me to look at him.

"I'm not sure you know who you're talking to, Eaton." I yank my jaw from his hold. He punches me hard across the cheek, I grasp the hem of my black t-shirt, my fingers curling into tight fists. _Don't fight back, don't fight back, don't fight back!_

"Ah, that felt good." He says, shaking his hand out, "I can't wait to see the look on his face." I clench my teeth together so hard my cheekbones begin to pain.

"Aren't you gonna fight back, Stiff?" He teases.

"I'm not stupid, Erudite." I mock, turning on my heel and walking away briskly. It may have been that Tobias told me, or maybe just because of his everyday demeanor, I couldn't remember, all I know is that I was grinning madly, wishing that I would've glanced at his expression before I left. Nonetheless, the moment was priceless.

"Jo, what happened?" Tobias asks, catching me before I walk into the dining hall.

"Come on… Four, you know I'm in initiation, I've fought people. I've bruised my face. It's nothing new. " I say, switching to his nickname as a pair of leaders walk by.

"That wasn't there when we let you out of training earlier though. Joey, who have you been fighting?" He asks.

"It doesn't matter, Tobias, just let it go." I snap. He narrows his eyes at me, but Eric interrupts whatever he was about to say.

"Hello Eatons." He smiles. Tobias raises his eyebrow in suspicion. A grimace crinkles his features as soon as he realizes.

"It was just as good as imagined." Eric reminisces, referring to Tobias' facial expression which is quickly turning dangerously murderous looking.

"You-" Tobias begins.

"Ah, careful Four. Try to remember what position I'm in that you decided to reject." Eric taunts.

"You know, I don't really ca-" I elbow Tobias as hard as I can in his gut and he ends up stumbling backward.

"Bye Eric." I say, dawning the most obviously fake smile ever to grace this earth.

"You've grown some muscle." Tobias grumbles.

"I'm trying to get you not thrown out of Dauntless. No complaints would be preferable." I reply.

"C'mon Al, hit me." I mutter so only he can hear me. He shakes his head.

"Al, you need to get up in the ranks." I insist.

"Nope." He says. Eric let's out an exasperated sigh and walks into the arena with us.

"Let me show you two how to punch." Eric says, he turns to me, and follows through on the actions as he says them. "First, you put your hand in a fist, then you hold up that hand, then you put that hand on the other person's face but with lots of speed." Instead of letting him hit me like before, I block the punch with my forearm.

"We've got it." I growl. Eric leaves the arena with yet another exasperated sigh.

"If you've got it, then FIGHT!" He shouts at us.

"Goddamnit Albert." I say to Al. I run forward and slam the side of my hand into his ear, He stumbles, disoriented but manages to punch me in my gut, the force of the blow causes me to stumble backwards a few feet.

"Good job." I mutter. I sprint behind him and kick him hard in the middle of his back. He falls forward a bit so I run back in front of him and slam my knee into his gut. I let him hit me in my stomach again before punching his nose. He just looks at me and nods quickly, I shake my head but he just falls to the ground and pretends to be unconscious. I sigh and help him to the infirmary with Drew.

I know another dream will plague me tonight so I don't bother dressing into my pajamas, instead I wear a tight black tank top and shorts, showing off my somewhat newly defined muscles, my tennis shoes sit, already starting to wear out from their continued use, by my bed. Yesterday was my fight with Al and I am still thinking about it when a large group of people storm into the dormitory, shining their bright flashlights over everyone.

"Everybody up!" Someone yells. I recognize that the voice belongs to someone I hate with a passion. Eric. I never got a chance to get in bed in the first place so I simply walk towards the group of Dauntless. Some of them are strangers and some of them I recognize from around The Pit.

"You have five minutes to get dressed and meet us by the tracks." Eric announces. "We're going on another field trip." I run towards the tracks after slipping on my shoes, only after I've arrived do I realize that I've dressed very revealingly. I have to remind myself that I'm not in Abnegation anymore and I won't be punished for showing some skin. I wait anxiously for the train to arrive, glancing at a pile of large guns that sit idly by the group of members and the box labeled "PAINTBALLS" that is by it.

"Everyone grab a gun!" Eric yells once everyone has arrived, I walk over to the pile and take the smallest gun I can find, I'm not one for slowing myself down. I grab a box of the paintballs, which I'm guessing are a spherical paint-based type of ammunition based on the name and location.

"Time estimate?" Eric questions Tobias. He glances at his watch,

"Any minute now," He says irritably. "How long is it going to take you to memorize the train schedule?"

"Why should I," Eric asks, shoving Tobias' shoulder. "When I have you to to remind me of it?"

I see the train coming out of the corner of my eye and start sprinting, right behind Peter. He gets in first and holds out his arm to help me, I take it and let him pull me into the car.

"I've been meaning to make a list of bad train puns," He says to me, grinning. "But I keep getting sidetracked." I snort unattractively at the joke and elbow his side.

"You've dressed nice today, Sticks." He tells me, eyeing my somewhat scant outfit and winking.

"Why thank you Peter." I smile at him, realizing he's used my nickname instead of the word Stiff. I catch Tris looking at us, surprise written across her face, but Tobias begins giving instructions before she can say anything.


	12. Chapter 12

"You know she's going _up_ the Ferris wheel right?" I ask.

"Yes." Tobias says plainly.

"Like, _up_. Things that are up are _high_ , and being up is bad for a person who's scared of _heights_." I say, emphasizing the words I feel will help him understand.

"Yes. I know." He says, exasperation touching his voice.

"Okay." I say as though I know he'll regret this later, but I'm going to let him do it anyways. I step to the side and let him follow Tris up the Ferris wheel. The group continues to argue about what should be done about our strategy. I continue to glance at the two love-birds climbing quickly up the rungs of the Ferris wheel every few minutes.

"I'm Lydia." A purple haired Dauntless girl interrupts my thoughts. Her chocolate colored skin makes the silver piercings on her face stand out more. She holds her hand out toward me, prompting me to shake it. I ignore the gesture and look at her blankly.

"How about a name for the ever so stoic transfer girl." She says after a few moments of silence. I narrow my eyes, searching for any sarcasm in her expression.

"Sticks." I say finally.

"She speaks!" Lydia says triumphantly. "Geez, your parents were awful people!"

"What makes you say that?" I ask. My voice sounding hostile, I clench my fists at the thoughts of my father.

"Woah, calm down, I just meant that giving you a name like 'Sticks' probably wasn't the best choice on their end." She says, backing away from me one step. I release the tension in my muscles.

"Oh." I say quietly. "Sorry, I've had a long day."

"That's okay." She takes her spot next to me once again. Suddenly a red haired and freckle-faced boy walks up next to her, he places his hand on her lower back and they share a wet and passionate kiss. I cringe at the close contact and remind myself- once again- that I am in Dauntless now. Not Abnegation.

"Oh." Lydia says when they pull away (several minutes later) as if she is just now noticing that I'm still here. "Sticks, this is Ralph. Ralph this is Sticks." Ralph sticks out his hand for me to shake and I hesitate at first then take it and shake firmly. Eventually the group decides to leave a few people behind and the rest of us head out to search for the other team.

We won. It was the work of Tris and Christina, Tris who found the other team by climbing the ferris wheel and Christina who ended up getting the flag in the first place. It's not so much winning but the look on Eric's face after having lost _again_ that gives me overwhelming happiness and triumph.

 **A/N-** _DAMMIT. I had plans to abandon this story... but alas, I've written 32 pages of this and I intend on finishing it. Even if it takes me years, I_ will _finish this. God, I've been writing in third person narration while I took a break from this and it's actually_ really _hard to get back into first person. I also noticed that my writing has really improved since I started this, I wrote this chapter before I took my break, and I just realized, it_ really sucks _. I promise this will get better... hopefully. Anyway, I've talked to much. Thank you again for such kind reviews!_

 _-Sophie 3_

 _P.S- Sorry this was such a short chapter! Hopefully my next few will be longer, I kind of need to stall while I write more..._


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